The Orange Fox and the Red Melody
by Pumpachump
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto & his new companion Tayuya. Once enemies, now best friends, or even more? Tayuya joins Naruto on his battle against the Akatsuki and their fight to not only bring Sasuke back, but to kill Orochimaru. How will it play out? Follow the story to find out how their relationship comes to be & the hardships they endure.
1. Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**I do not own Naruto**_

_**Prologue:**_Uzumaki Naruto & his new companion Tayuya. Once enemies, now best friends, or even more? Tayuya joins Naruto on his battle against the Akatsuki and their fight to not only bring Sasuke back, but to kill Orochimaru. How will it play out? Follow the story to find out how their relationship comes to be & the hardships they endure.

_**A/N:**_Hi! This will be my very first attempt at a Fan Fiction, I will most definitely do my best to write to my best ability, although I do hope I can be corrected and or informed of options that may be helpful for changing my story for the better, or to help guide myself down a path of which the story shall take. However, I do have a general idea of where I already want this story to go. I hope you enjoy, and of course if you do, be sure to let me know, constructive criticism is highly encouraged.

_**Chapter 1: **__**The Journey Begins**_

Uzumaki Naruto and his comrade Tayuya are just now returning to the village after their roughly three year training trip, with the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. Or as Naruto has come to formally know him as, 'Ero Sennin'.. Hold it there a moment, I suppose you're wondering a few things, not only are you wondering why Naruto is with Tayuya, previously one of Orochimaru's sound four, who even participated in the retrieval of Uchiha Sasuke for the snake like Lengendary Sannin, Orochimaru. Or even more, how is she still alive after her deathly battle with Shikamaru and Temari, wasn't she crushed under a forest of trees? Allow me to explain.

_**~Flashback Three Years Beforehand~**_

Naruto, a usually hyperactive knucklehead ninja of whom you could never get to be quiet, was now lying in hospital with injuries quite severe after his previous battle against his former comrade, Uchiha Sasuke. To say that Naruto was upset with himself for not being able to best his friend in battle is an understatement. He had hoped he would be able to reason with his friend, and change his mind about this insane quest for power he was about to embark on. Although, no matter what he said, nothing would change his mind, his mind was set and there was no going back. In which case Naruto had decided he would bring Sasuke back, no matter what. Even if that meant breaking all of his bones and dragging him back.

However, Naruto evidently didn't win this battle, as there he was, lying in hospital with Sasuke nowhere to be found. Considering the circumstances that have occurred, you would assume he would just give up? But no, not Naruto, he knew there was still good somewhere in Sasuke, and he was going to prove it one day.

Believe it or not, there were more troubles to cross this young genin of Konoha's path in the near future. There is a group formally known as, 'The Akatsuki'. From the Intel currently gathered, The Akatsuki was an alliance of S rank rogue shinobi from throughout the five great nations. The Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water and the Land of Earth.

They weren't one hundred percent sure of the motives of this organization, all they currently knew, were that they were currently collecting all nine of the bijuu. The bijuu, were ancient creatures, chakra beings or even demons as some know them by. These demons were said to have been around since the beginning of time, with immense power that you could never imagine. In ages of war, villages wanted to harness the power of these demons, in hopes of strengthening the power of their villages, to ward off any attack neighbouring lands may contemplate, or even attack neighbouring lands themselves. But how, how do you harness the power of such a demon?

Sealing jutsu's would be used to seal the demons inside shinobi. These shinobi were mere vessels and or weapons for the villages to use at their own will, hardly treated as human, but more or less treated as the demon of whom they carried. These 'vessels' for the demons, are formally known as 'Jinchuuriki'. Naruto carried one of the bijuu himself; he carried what most came to know as the most terrifying of all the demons. He was the jinchuuriki for the kyuubi. It is said that the more tails the demon possess, the stronger it is.

This burden was placed on Naruto within his very first few hours of birth. However sealing the kyuubi inside of this boy was not what they had planned, it is what had to be done at the time, for the safety of the village. The kyuubi was released throughout Konoha rampaging, destroying and killing anything in its way.

The village however did not stand down; they stood strong against the demon, and managed to apprehend the beast. This may not have been possible without the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato. Minato was a master in the art of fuuinjutsu, and had managed to seal away the kyuubi, in exchange for his own life. Minato was, and always will be remembered as a hero.

For the vast majority of his life, Naruto knew not of the demon he held within him, the Sandaime had decided it would be better for the time being that the least he knew of the beast the better. This does not mean Naruto didn't have a good idea that there was something he held within himself that was different to everyone else, he heard their whispers, he listened to their taunts, and he accepted their hatred towards the boy of who caused no harm towards his fellow villagers. But yet they feared him for the beast he contained, afraid it would somehow escape and rampage once again.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

Naruto awoke from his slumber in his hospital bed to notice Ero Sennin sitting on the window of his hospital room. "Finally awake? It's about time kid." Jiraiya said. "Ero Sennin, what are you doing here?" Naruto said confused and still quite upset about the previous events. "Naruto... We need to talk.". "What is it Ero Sennin, is it about Sasuke?" Naruto said holding back his anger and tears. "I want to take you on a three year training trip. I want to train you myself so that you can protect yourself against the Akatsuki who from what we know, are making their move on the bijuu in the next three years." Jiraiya said with the utmost seriousness in his voice. "What about Sasuke?!" Naruto shouted. "Sasuke isn't going anywhere Naruto! If you must, you can look at this training as a means of preparing yourself and making yourself stronger to bring back Sasuke. However, until then, this traning is extremely important." Naruto stared at the casts on his arms, whilst contemplating what he should do. "I-I... Understand..." Naruto finally replied with almost a whisper. "Good, we leave tomorrow morning. I'm sure you will heal up just fine by then. (Courtesy of the kyuubi) Meet me at the village gate." Jiraiya had suddenly left in an instant with almost no trace of him ever being there. Naruto looked at the roof with at first confusion and anger in his eyes. Then he remembered his dream to one day become Hokage. This training would be great for him! He would get much stronger, and it would just lead to everyone in the village finally respecting him.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

It was the next morning at the village gate, Naruto had just arrived after quickly saying his goodbyes too all his friends before he embarked on his journey. Jiraiya was already there waiting, along with the current Godaime Hokage, another of the three Lengendary Sannin, Tsunade with her assistant and almost sister figure of Naruto's, Shizune.

"Great! You're here, are you ready to go kid? Don't want to forget anything, going to be a while before we visit again." Jiraiya said in a happy almost excited tone of voice. "I couldn't be more ready! Let's get going already!" Naruto said with no attempt to hide his excitement, with absolutely no idea of the locations they would be visiting, and the hardships awaiting them on their journey. Tsunade turned to Naruto, hugging him in a bone crushing hug. "A-ah... Baa-chan... Can't breathe!" Tsunade released the hug, bopping him on the head. "I told you not to call me that! You little punk." Tsunade said in an annoyed matter, but still not able to hide the fact that she was going to miss the knucklehead ninja. Shizune yelled out to him, "We're going to miss you Naruto! Make sure you train hard!" Naruto merely smiled his trademark foxy grin he usually gives, waving them a goodbye as they left the village, therefore beginning their adventure.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

Naruto and Jiraiya were now a few hours away from the village, and it was beginning to get dark, they had agreed to set up camp for the night, before continuing further in the morning. Naruto laid down their two sleeping bags, whilst Jiraiya removed some rice balls from his bag for them to eat for dinner that night. They both quickly had their meal, before deciding to try to nod off to sleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. Naruto was having trouble sleeping, as he couldn't help but notice this was the way he and his comrades had come, during their attempt to retrieve Sasuke from the Sound Four. Orochimaru's personal, and best team.

Naruto made the decision to go for a walk around nearby, having a quick scan of the area. It was an average night for the fire nation. The moon was shining bright, there was a faint breeze through the trees, and there were several stars in the sky. Although most of the stars were not visible due to the high amount of trees engulfing the area. Naruto stumbled across an area of which all the trees had been… Cut down? He quickly remembered this as the spot Shikamaru had stopped to fight the red haired female of the group from the sound four. He had heard and been assured from them all, that no one had survived and they had come out victorious.

The young blonde haired genin heard faint screams of pain, and inaudible curses in the distance. He followed the sound, only to find a red haired girl lodged under a pile of trees. Her skin sparkling in the moonlight, and her hair as beautiful as the night sky. He knew perfectly well, that she was their enemy; however it was not in his nature to leave someone to die helplessly. So without a thought, he shot forward towards the pile of trees. "H-help! P-p-please… Fuck!" The girl screamed in agony from the trees crushing her legs. Naruto was clearly not strong enough to lift the pile of trees, so he did the best he could do, and formed a ball of chakra in his hands, creating the jutsu known as the Rasengan. He then blasted away at the trees, _**"Rasengan!"**_ removing them from the poor girl's legs in a struggle to free her. He had finally managed to free the girl from the grasp of the forest. So he quickly picked her up bridle style, and begun carrying her off to his camp site with Ero Sennin, with hopes that he could help the red haired girl. "What the fuck are you d-doing!?" The girl screeched as she was carried away with Naruto. "I'm saving you! There's no way I'm leaving you there to die." Naruto said with seriousness and concern in his voice. "A-a-ahhh! My legs! F-f…"

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

Moments later she had passed out from the pain, as Naruto had just arrived at their camp site. Jiraiya quickly awoke to the noise of someone running in his direction. "Naruto! What are you doing? Who's this?!" Jiraiya said confused and somewhat impressed that Naruto had managed to not only pick up a girl, but also carry her before being beat into a pulp. "I found her lodged under a pile of trees, I couldn't just leave her there, is there anything we can do Ero Sennin?" Naruto placed the girl on his sleeping bag whilst Jiraiya quickly raced to her side to access the situation further. She had two badly broken legs, and was a bit banged up with bruises and cuts over her upper half.

"The only thing I can do now, is attempt to mend the bones the best I can with the little medical ninjutsu I know, but other than that, I think I have an idea that just might work." Jiraiya said with much confidence. "What Ero Sennin, what?!" Naruto replied, highly confused. "The kyuubi's chakra has incredible healing capabilities, you have experienced this first hand of course, perhaps try to flow some of the kyuubi's chakara through the girls legs, I will be able to re-align the bones, but you should be able to speed up the healing process." "If you really think it'll work, then I'll give it a try." Naruto quickly begun, placing his hands on her thighs and beginning to attempt to transfer the kyuubi's chakra into the red haired girls legs, Jiraiya observing the chakra flow in her legs, gestures Naruto to stop, noticing that, that is more than enough bijuu chakra needed.

"Let her rest in my bed for tonight, I'll sleep against the tree." Naruto stated as Jiraiya went to remove the kunoichi from the sleeping bag. Jiraiya nodded and tucked the girl in. "Alright, I'm proud of you for wanting to save the girl, but we'll have to learn more about her as of tomorrow, til' then, we've got a big day tomorrow, try to get some rest." Jiraiya said whilst walking towards his sleeping bag, preparing to go back to sleep. Naruto nodded and laid down on the floor against a tree, and quickly dozed off.

_**A/N:**_I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter; I will try to submit the second chapter as soon as possible, once again, please let me know what you think with a review. I'm sure that there is many points of which I need to improve.


	2. Chapter 2: Beginning of Friendship

**_A/N:_**Hi! I hope everyone enjoyed the previous chapter! I have been notified about certain mistakes I made which should be fixed by now. Also, it was mentioned to me that the amount of explaining that I did in the story was unnecessary, as the majority of people currently reading the story should be aware of most of those things already. I had thought about that before I started writing the story, I wasn't sure whether or not to explain things that people would surely know from the original naruto, or treat the story as if the readers had already watched the original naruto and may be just starting shippuden, or a decent amount into the story. As of now, I will dull down on the amount of explaining I do when referring to the things explained in the original naruto. Thanks again for the feedback!

_**Chapter 2: Beginning of Friendship**_

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the red haired kunoichi was… snoring… It was early morning and Naruto and Jiraiya had already woken and were beginning their day with a nice healthy breakfast. Naruto was eating… Ramen. "Hey Ero Sennin, she's going to be okay now right?" said Naruto in between a mouthful of ramen. "She should be just fine, although I don't think she will be able to walk yet of course, so for the next few days until she adapts, she's going to need a way to get around with us." The sannin said trying to hold back his giggling with no success. "You don't mean?! I have to carry her?!" Naruto yelled. Jiraiya merely smiled at the boy.

"What a nap… I can't remember the last time I had a full night sleep…" The girl said yawning. "Wait… What the fuck, how did I get here?! Wasn't I under a pile of trees?!" She said shocked and confused. "That would be me, I found you last night, and brought you back here so we could help you. I'm surprised you don't remember." Naruto explained. "W-what… I know you! You're that brat who was after that Uchiha! Why would you save me, I'm your enemy?". "Enemy or not, it's not like me to leave someone to die helplessly, even if I didn't want to, my body moved on its own, and here you are." Naruto said with a smile on his face. "Pf, then who's the geezer?" She said whilst looking over the older man sitting near them. "I'm the great Toad Sage from Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya!" "And I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Believe it! What's your name?" Naruto said with interest in his eyes. "I'm… Tayuya…" She replied whilst looking down at her hands. _They saved me? Why would they save me? No-one has ever saved me before… Not that I needed saving! But even if I did, no-one has or ever would make the effort… _Tayuya thought to herself.

The Toad Sages expression changed, and he was now serious. "Naruto tells me you're from Orochimaru's sound four?" "Fuck that snake! He left me there to die! Like I was nothing to him! As I laid there helplessly, he simply retracted his curse mark from me, with no intention of helping me. I swear the next time I see that fucker, I'll rip is fucking head off myself and cut off his skin for him before he gets the chance to shed it!" She said eyes burning with fury. "Well that explains that. Good to know that we're on the same page here. I'm more than happy to allow you to join Naruto and myself assuming you're willing to give up a bit of information about the snake." Tayuya looked him straight in the eyes. "Fuck yeah, I'll tell you whatever you want to know if it means I'll get to rip that fuckers head off. But join you? Even if I did want to join you, my legs were crushed, I doubt I'll even be able to walk again…" said the foul mouthed girl suddenly becoming upset. "Ah yes! About that, you should be able to walk fine on your own within the next week. The muscles in your legs just need a little time to re-strengthen themselves even if we did manage to mend your bones and speed up the recovery process." She simply sat there for a moment, staring at her legs, jaw almost touching the ground with shock. _Not only have they saved me from that wreckage, they've now gone to the extant to help repair my legs. But speed up the recovery process, how do you even do that? Even if they were able to mend my bones, it'd take months for my legs to fully recover! _She thought to herself.

"Y-you… You were able to fix my legs? I'll be able to walk again?!" She said trying to hold back her excitement with little to no success. "But, what do you mean by speed up the recovery process, how the fuck would you even do that?" "That's all thanks to Naruto, you see, his chakra has special recuperative powers." Jiraiya explained looking at the blonde haired boy. "Really blondie… Impressive…" Tayuya said looking the young genin over. Naruto gave her his trademark foxy grin.

"Well that settles it, you're sticking with us, I can see potential in you, and being previously a part of Orochimaru's sound four, I'm sure you're relatively strong yourself. Naruto and you could hopefully learn a thing or two from one another. Now let's get going, we've got more ground to cover before we get to the next town, and I would very much like to get there before sundown." Jiraiya said whilst beginning to pack away their stuff. "Going? How the fuck do you expect me to follow you guys?! You're forgetting I can't fucking walk!" She screamed. Jiraiya simply looked at the girl, than over to Naruto. "No… There's no way I'm letting that shithead carry me!" "Hey! My name is Naruto, and don't think I want to carry you either!" He yelled glaring at the red haired girl. "Pf. Fine, whatever shithead-kun."

They set out at a quick pace, quickly jumping from tree to tree, hoping to reach their destination as quick as possible, the silence was nice, it was peaceful. Until... "Hey shithead! You better not drop me!" She said kneeing him in the ribs. "Oh, 'cause that'd be terrible..." He mumbled just under his breath. "What was that?!" yelled Tayuya. "Nothing!" Jiraiya noticing this little confrontation of theirs looked back and couldn't help but notice. _They're just like them… They're just like Minato and Kushina. _He thought.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

They had made it to the next town a lot quicker than they had expected, so they had a little time to have a look around before heading back to the hotel they checked into, to call it a night. "Hey shithead-kun thanks for the lift, but why don't we go have a look around?" said Tayuya in more of an order then a question. "Yeah alright, that sounds like fun!" said Naruto whilst he carried her through the busy streets. "I'll be at the hot springs if you need me. I've got some 'research' to do." Said Jiraiya with his usual perverted smirk on his face. "Of course you will… Pervert." Naruto mumbled.

It was a relatively busy town, but yet somehow peaceful. It was easy to see that this town was a hot spot for travellers. It had everything they would need. Hotels, places to restock on food, weapon shops, hot springs to relax in. They even had a… "Shithead! In there, the music shop! Go go go!" She ordered kicked him in the thigh. "Alright alright, I'm going. Sheesh." Replied Naruto "Why would even want to come in here anyway?" "What kind of question is that idiot! Who wouldn't want to come in here! Oh fuck yes! They have flutes, quick over to the flutes!" said the red haired girl smiling with passion for the instruments. "Flutes? You play the flute?" said Naruto. "Fuck yeah, my flute was my weapon, I could cast gen jutsu and use it to controller my summons. But after that blonde bitch finished me with her attack, my flute broken along with my legs…"

"Well it looks like we're getting you a new flute!" said Naruto smiling at the girl. She looked away, trying to avoid letting him see her blush. "That one, that one there! It looks like my old one!" she picked up the silver coloured flute, placed it too her mouth, positioned her fingers, and begun to play an impressive melody. "Wow! You're amazing!" shouted Naruto. "Of course I am, what did you expect?" she said very confident in herself.

"Hi, is there anything I could help you with?" said the store owner. "Yes! This flute, I would like to get this flute!" replied Tayuya radiating with excitement. "Ah yes of course. We don't get a lot of people in here looking for flutes you know. Judging from your attire you're looking to use this as a battle flute I presume?" said the smiling store owner. Tayuya replied with an even larger smile. "Sure fucking am." "Well, that'll be 50,000 yen." _50,000 yen? Fuck, I don't have that kind of money… _She thought to herself "Here you go!" smiled Naruto as he passed the money over to the store owner. "What the fuck are you doing shithead?" said Tayuya much happier then she was making out to be. "I'm buying you the flute you wanted. I know you're not able to afford it, it's nothing don't worry about it." Replied Naruto. "Thank you very much sir, will that be all?" "Yes thank you." Replied Naruto as they left the store.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

Naruto and Tayuya were still wondering the streets of the now not so busy town, as the towns people were now starting to head home, as it got progressively darker out. "Hey shithead…" mumbled the red haired girl. "Hm?" replied Naruto. "T-thanks… for doing that for me..." said Tayuya almost unable to hold back her blush. It wasn't very often the girl thanked anyone. Frankly, Naruto was surprised the foul mouthed kunoichi even had manners! Naruto simply smiled at her from over his shoulder. "Hey, like I said, don't worry about it." "Well, let's go grab something to eat, I'm fucking starving. But this time I'm paying!" replied Tayuya. "Yeah sure, I'm starving too! But after that, before we head back, how about you have a practice of that new flute of yours?" Tayuya smiled in agreement.

The two arrived at a nearby eatery, earlier that morning Jiraiya had given the girl some rice balls he had left over from their meal the previous night. It had been too long since she had, had a full meal since the snake sannin didn't exactly treat his followers like royalty. She was dying to have some ramen she noticed Naruto eating that morning. "I'll have two miso ramens!" shouted the red haired girl as they entered the eatery. "Me too!" smiled Naruto.

It had just begun to get dark; the two were enjoying their meal. By enjoying I mean the two were quite literally inhaling their food. Naruto was thoroughly surprised. He thought all girls ate slow and with etiquette, and that they would all want a vegetarian ramen. Just like Sakura and Ino always did. But not Tayuya, she was eating like a wild bear that had just come out of hibernation. Hungry and without a care in the world. "What are you looking at shithead-kun?" said Tayuya whilst gulping down her last bowl. "Nothing." smiled Naruto as he also finished off his last bowl. "That was great! But nowhere near as good as Ichiraku!" "Yeah that was great, I can't remember the last time I sat down to a meal that nice, let alone a full meal at all!" replied the red head. "Alright, what do you say we go test out that flute of yours then?" Tayuya nodded and they both left the shop.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

They had found a tree just outside the town to lead against to keep from annoying people in the town with her playing. _I'm not used to playing or practicing my flute in front of other people before… or am I used to people wanting to hear me play. _She thought to herself. "Alright, let's hear it!" smiled Naruto whilst lying down to look at the stars. "Try not to faint from amazement." Said Tayuya as she placed the instrument to her lips, preparing her fingers getting ready to play. This melody was different to the one she had played in the store earlier that day. This one was more peaceful, more relaxing. This melody was a lullaby. It was truly amazing, she played the piece perfectly! Naruto was amazed, although he could not help but slowly begin to fall asleep. Tayuya loved nothing more than to play her flute. As she played, she'd close her eyes, and she'd be able to block everyone else. She could forget all her troubles and think about nothing but the music.

The red haired girl had just finished her melody, opened her eyes and taken a big breath. It felt good to be able to play away all her troubles. She noticed the blonde haired boy laying their asleep. She had a lay down herself, and closed her eyes, and eventually nodded off to sleep as well.

It wasn't along after Tayuya had fallen asleep that Naruto had awoken from his short rest to notice the girl lying beside him asleep herself. He decided it was time for them to head back to the hotel. He stood up, and bent down to pick up the girl, making every attempt not to wake her from her slumber. He lifted her bridle style, and headed off towards the hotel.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

As he arrived at the hotel, the toad sage was sitting there on the floor having his own meal. "Hey, you two are back late. Have fun?" smirked Jiraiya. "We went and bought her a new flute, had something to eat, and went somewhere for her to practice. Then she fell asleep, I didn't want to wake her." Explained Naruto looking down at the girl he was holding. She was fast asleep curling into his arms. _She is even better looking when she's asleep. But that's no surprise. It's the only time she isn't yelling, swearing and acting tough. _Thought Naruto.

Jiraiya laughed. "Alright, perhaps we should get some rest too; I've already laid down our beds." "Right!" replied Naruto as he walked over to their beds, placing Tayuya down in hers, of which was in close proximity of his. He laid down himself and couldn't help but think to himself. _She's foul mouthed, rude and her emotions are like she has bipolar. But yet, I can't help but think… This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship._

_**A/N:**_Alright, and that's the end of chapter 2! I hope you all enjoyed, as always, I tried to write it to the best of my ability, was trying to expand my vocabulary as much as possible. I do hope you all enjoyed. Please leave a review letting me know what you think! Chapter 3 shouldn't be far away.


	3. Chapter 3: Training Begins

_**Jutsu – bold & italic**_

_**Thoughts - italic**_

_**Chapter 3: Training Begins**_

It's now been one week since Jiraiya and Naruto stumbled across the foul mouthed, red haired kunoichi. They didn't know much about her. In fact, they knew almost nothing at all. Apart from her previously being a part of Orochimaru's sound four, her having red hair and an almost revolting foul mouth. Her life and history was a blur to them.

Naruto was perfectly fine with this; he wasn't going to try to push her out of her comfort zone, forcing her to tell them things they really didn't need to know anytime soon. He was sure she would tell him when the time was right.

Although he couldn't help but be curious, as since the second night of which they found the red haired kunoichi. She seemed to have awful nightmares about her past. Tossing and turning in her sleep, mumbling things like "Mom… Dad… Please. Please don't leave me!" and waking up sweating furiously.

Not only that, the one thing that surprised not only Jiraiya and Naruto, but Tayuya the most. Was during the night, she would unconsciously roll towards Naruto's bed, as the two were within close proximity of each other. And latch on to the nearest thing she could reach. This resulted in some very, very awkward mornings between the two.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

The bright morning sun was a beautiful sight. It's intense light, beaming across the gorgeous short wavy grass of which the three shinobi were currently sleeping on. The birds were singing, and there was barely a cloud in a sky. This was the definition of a perfect morning, everything was mellow and peaceful. Until…

"What the fuck?! Not again!" shouted Tayuya waking the toad sage and the blonde genin. "Tayuya-chan, I-". "Don't you fucking 'Tayuya-chan' me!" she interrupted swinging wildly at the boy. This was yet another morning, of which the two had woken up in yet another, very awkward and unconscious tender embrace.

The toad sage and the boy tried many a time to explain to the furious red head, that she was the one that unconsciously in her sleep moved towards Naruto. However, she refused to believe such accusations.

"Look, I didn't do anything I swear! This is my bed after all! You think I dragged you over here while you were asleep?!" he shouted whilst defending himself from the red heads outburst. "How the fuck should I know what you try to do to me while I'm sleeping you creep!" Naruto noticing a slimy sticky substance on his left shoulder; he looks at it closely before realizing what it was.

Tayuya had realized what it was just as he did, and she begun to blush, turning as red as her hair. It was her drool. She was so embarrassed, wanting nothing more than to change the subject of sleeping. Got right up, walked over to her bed, and started getting ready for the day.

Jiraiya just looked in their direction, and just couldn't help but smile. As much as it seemed like the two hated each other, or that Tayuya hated Naruto. This was however, not how it was. He could see it in their eyes, they were friends. They just had a very odd way of showing it. Probably something to do with her upbringing. She mustn't be very used to having someone to care for, let alone having someone care for her. She wasn't sure what a 'friend' really was.

"Well, that wasn't what I was expecting as a wakeup call. But it'll have to do!" smiled the toad sage whilst he begun preparing a quick breakfast for the three. "Hey ero-sennin, so what are we doing today? Are you gonna teach us some really super cool new jutsu?!"

"Hm, not quite, but seeing as Tayuya's legs are basically completely healed, and she can move around just fine on her own. I say we get started on your training." Slowly but surely throughout the week they spent in the very first town they had visited. Tayuya was slowly regaining her strength in both her legs. Although she would never admit it, a lot of it was thanks to Naruto.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

He would notice her trying to stand and walk on her own, only to fall back down to the ground. Thinking no one was around; she would curse and get upset, thinking she was never going to be able to walk again. _Wow… She's really trying hard to be able to walk again… I feel kind of bad for her. Watching her struggle like that hurts, I better go help. _Without a second thought, he approached the girl. She fell to the ground, whimpering with no sign of making another attempt to stand.

Naruto grabbed her by her hips, and lifted her to her feet. "W-what the fuck are you doing?!" shouted Tayuya in shock, blushing so hard you'd think her head was going to explode. "I'm helping you walk. Here, now try to take a few steps.""I… I-"_ Saying_ nothing else she simply nodded and allowed him to help her.

She was able to take about six or seven steps, before her legs buckled and she fell, only to be caught by the boy. "You're doing great! Just a few more steps!"he said smiling his trademark foxy grin.

She was now taking several steps; this was just the confidence boost she needed. _What, what is he doing? Why is he helping me, is he just trying to get close to me? No… That's not it, he's not like that. He genuinely wants to help me… _she thought to herself.

Tayuya truly wanted to say thank you, but she just couldn't find the words. Naruto noticing this confliction in her facial expression makes the first move. "Don't worry about it Tayuya. Think of it this way, the faster you can walk, the less time I have to spend carrying you around." He said shooting the girl a smile. "Anyways, I think that's enough for today, we can try again tomorrow."He said placing her down on the bed and leaving the room.

"T-thank you…"she mumbled under her breath as he left the room.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

"Yes! We finally get to start training!" shouted Naruto jumping up and down. "What about Tayuya-chan?" he said quickly regretting his choice of words. "What the fuck did I tell you about calling me 'Tayuya-chan'!" shouted the red head in rage. "I-I'm sorry Tayuya! I don't mean to! It just slipped out! I promise!" replied the boy defending himself, quivering in fear of getting her foot up his rear end.

"Hmpth. Better be." Mumbled Tayuya whilst staring the blonde dead in the eyes. Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at the two's bickering. It was hysterical. "What are you laughing at?!" yelled the both of them, eyes on the man with the intent to kill.

After settling his laughter, he replied "Oh nothing, nothing… Anyways! Tayuya will be training with you and I of course!"

"What, why do I need to train with the both of you?!" replied the girl. "It's true that you were once a part of Orochimaru's elite unit. But that does not make you the perfect shinobi, nowhere near. I'm one hundred percent sure there is going to be a lot for you to improve in." Jiraiya stated

"And from what I'm currently aware of, your main weapon of attack, is that flute of yours. Naruto has relayed to me what he was informed of from that Nara boy, that you can use your flute to project sound based genjutsu, and that you are even able to summon three creatures, and control them with the melody of the flute. If this is true, then that means you're primarily a long-ranged genjutsu style shinobi. Meaning that you will most definitely need training in both taijutsu, and ninjutsu." Explained Jiraiya.

"Yeah… I suppose you're right…" replied the red head.

"Good. Well, I'm already aware of what Naruto can do, but to really be able to see what you can do, and what he will do to counteract your fighting style. You two are going to have to spar with one another whilst I observe." Said the toad sage smiling.

"Now that I'm done with all of the explaining, let's pack up here, and head a little north away from the trees to train." Said Jiraiya gesturing them to get a move on as he moved over to pack away his own stuff.

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

"You're going down shithead. Don't start thinking I'm gonna go easy on you." said Tayuya taunting Naruto with her over confident tone of voice.

"Pf. Like I need you to go easy on me anyway! I'm going to win this for sure! Believe it!" replied Naruto in his usual cocky manner.

"Yeah yeah, save it for the fight you two." said Jiraiya rubbing his temples, symbolizing a head ache forming. _Man, it's been barely two weeks and these guys are already giving me a head ache… can't imagine the next three years… _thought the toad sage.

"Alright, being your first spar. I would usually make it strictly a taijutsu fight. But considering I need to learn Tayuya's abilities. This will be a battle of all three styles. Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. You can start when you're ready." Explained Jiraiya as he walked backwards giving the two enough room for their fight.

"_**Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" **_shouted Naruto as he and now ten of his clones, rushed at Tayuya from all angles boxing her in. "Ha! You're mine now!" yelled Naruto as he raced towards the red head, kunai in hand.

_Great, nothing better than more Naruto's… _She sighed. _Hm, that's actually quite a lot of clones. I didn't think this shithead would be able to master a jutsu like this… he's still nothing for me. _Thought Tayuya shrugging and picking up her flute; she placed the cold metal against her lips, positioning her fingers. _**"Demon Flute: Mud of the Underworld!" **_she shouted before playing a simple, high pitched tune, immediately dispersing all shadow clones after trapping them in a genjutsu that prevents them from moving where they stand. But for some reason, the genjutsu didn't affect the original?

Tayuya shrugged it off. _Hm, maybe he was able to escape it somehow… I'll have to try a high levelled genjutsu this time. _She thought to herself as she jumped back placing the flute to her lips yet again, then yelling _**"Demonic Illusion: Chains of Fantasia!"**_

This once again, had no effect. "What the fuck! My genjutsu has no effect on you? Are you fucking death?" yelled the kunoichi in frustration.

"You're done for!" he yelled as he throw a round house kick at her, of which she only just managed to block in time, knocking her back, but ignoring most of the force behind the kick. She quickly took cover behind a tree.

_From the looks of it so far, the only jutsu he really knows, is those damn shadow clones. He's a classic close ranged fighter…_ she was immediately snapped out of her thoughts as she heard him scream _**"Rasengan!"**_Shortly afterwards, the tree she was taking cover behind, was obliterated. She was only just able to avoid being hit by the ball of chakra.

_What the fuck was that jutsu? If that shit fucking hit me, who knows how much damage that would have caused._ She thought to herself.

"Fine, I'm done playing around shithead. I'm going to end this now!" _**"Summoning Jutsu!" **_yelled Tayuya. A puff of smoke appeared, not long after, it evaporated revealing three demonic ogre like creatures.

The first monster was shirtless, bald and had a long goat like beared. Veins were protruding from the top of his head; he had bandages covering his eyes and his mouth was stitched shut. For weapons, he had two long, sharp almost bone like objects strapped to each arm.

The second monster was completely covered in black clothing, with hair covering the entirety of his face. For a weapon, he had a large studded club.

The third monster, he was mysterious. He wore long brown pants, and from the waist up, he was completely bandaged, all the way to his head. His arms and all were confined. How would this one attack? Shoulder barge? None the less, these three monsters were truly something from a nightmare.

"Wh-what are those!?" shouted Naruto trembling with fear. _All three of them have their eyes covered and their mouths stitched shut. How are they even going to know what to attack?_

"Oh these guys? They're just some friends of mine." Replied Tayuya evilly. "Now then, let me play you a melody of death!" she shouted before once again placing her flute to her lips and playing another melody. The sound of this melody, it had a strong feel of suspense. Of not knowing what was going to happen next. Almost as if you were about to die…

_So they're the summons she can control with her melody… They're doki. And it appears that her genjutsu won't affect Naruto. Perhaps having the kyuubi's chakra within him is enough to cause a disturbance in his chakra network; therefore avoiding the genjutsu. Interesting... He's completely immune to genjutsu. Or at least genjutsu projected by sound. _Jiraiya thought to himself, rubbing the bottom of his chin.

As soon as she begun to play, the beasts charged straight at Naruto.

He was able to quickly evade them, as it seemed the monsters were indeed quite large, and had brute strength. However they lacked in speed.

Noticing this, Naruto used it to his advantage. He moved in the way of one of the monsters, to shield himself from the view of Tayuya. Whilst hidden, he took that opportunity to create a few shadow clones. _**"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" **_he yelled before quickly hiding away out of site using the smoke created from the jutsu to help hide himself.

_Really? Fucking shadow clones again? _She thought to herself before quickly dispersing the shadow clones yet again with another genjutsu. _**"Demonic Illusion: Tsunami Frenzy!" **_This genjutsu was not a pleasant one. What the victim saw, was a sudden splash of water erupt from the ground, surrounding them all too quickly. But that was not the bad part, the bad part was these waters were infested with sharks, of which fed off your bones as you floated there helpless in the water. Boy was Naruto lucky he wasn't affected by genjutsu…

_Won't he get that those shadow clones won't work on me? No matter the amount, I can finish the fuckers in a second. _Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as she was swept off her feet, and a kunai was placed to her throat.

"What! How?!" She screamed, unable to accept that she'd been beaten. "I guess you were too distracted to notice me sneaking up behind you." Smiled Naruto extending his hand to help her up.

"You just got fucking lucky…" She said slapping his hand away and getting up on her own.

"Well, well, well… Wasn't that an exciting fight to watch!" said Jiraiya. Clapping, smiling and walking in their direction. "It seems you know some pretty nasty genjutsu Tayuya. I wouldn't want to get stuck in one of those." He shivers.

"Yeah, but it didn't fucking affect him! What the fuck is up with that?!" she roared staring intently at the two, wanting an answer.

"You see, Naruto has a special ability, think of it as a kekkei genkai." Explained Jiraiya. "Either way, that fight showed me that both of you need to step up your game when it comes to taijutsu. Tayuya, you in particular." She scowled at him for that comment.

Naruto begun to giggle at Tayuya being told she needed to improve. "What's so funny? You're taijutsu needs a lot of work too. Your stance was completely off, and you almost knocked yourself over rather than Tayuya with your first roundhouse kick." Jiraiya explained walking over to get there things. "And you both definitely need a larger variety of ninjutsu. But anyway, that's enough for today. I've got an errand to go run; you two should talk to each other about your little battle. Discuss what could have been done better etc. I won't be too long; I'll be back by dinner."

_**~oOoOoOo~**_

It was beginning to get dark; all the animals were all scurrying off to take shelter for the night. Tayuya was lying by a tree practicing her flute as she had been for hours. And Naruto was just down the hill, practicing his taijutsu and on a tree.

After Jiraiya had run off to do some errands, Tayuya didn't particular want to talk about a battle she had lost. She was embarrassed to have lost to Naruto. _Eugh, I can't believe I lost to him… But I mean, I guess I have to admit. He's definitely a better fighter then he looks._

"Hey Tayuya-cha-" Naruto paused before he could finish his sentence. Tayuya staring him down, ready to burst with anger. "I… I'm sorry… But, why don't you like it when I call you that?" He asked hoping for an answer giving her his best puppy dog eyes he could. His big blue eyes staring into her soul.

_Eugh, why does he have to look at me with those eyes… _she thought to herself. "It's just… No one really calls me 'Tayuya-chan'. The last people I remember calling me that…" she bit her lip, holding back her tears. "Were my parents."

Naruto noticing from the expression on her face, that she clearly wasn't going to tell him anymore than that. So he merely nodded, happy that she had at least told him that.

"Well, I was wondering… If you w-wanted to watch the sunset with me? Since I j-just finished my training at all." He said stuttering and twirling his thumbs. Nervous to ask the question.

"Sure. Why not shithead-kun." They both smiled and they sat down to watch the sunset. As much as they hated to admit it; they enjoyed each other's company.


End file.
